Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-05-30
California Felix.

California Felix.
The new city directory just pub
lished furnishes very good index
to the growth of the city, and from
all analogies of reasoning 1t appears
that the present population is fully
10000 souls. There are nearly A.
900 names in the list. The city
spreads over an unusually large area,
and many of our people are engaged
in fruit culture and other occupation,
putting them somewhat outside the
scope OF the directory.
All parts OF the county is growing
at the same rapid pace, and the sur
rounding counties ali participate in
this general prosperity. The history
of III ourovia, which founded short
year go now looms up as a plac OF
very considerable size, is being re-
peated at many points, and it will be
repeated at many more during the
coming year.
A recent trip through the lower
end OF the comfy by one OF our staff,
a brief account OF which al pears IN
our local columns, illustrates these
statements in very bright colors.
AT all points in the Santa Ana valley
not only are new houses going up as
the large tracts are being subdivided,
and the vacant town lots occupied by
new comers, but as concomitants OF
this era of development, may be
seen in each town, the graceful
spires OF new churches, the bell tow
ers OF fine schools, the shady
verandas of charming country
hotels, and the substantial ex-
teriors of new banks. Santa
Ana, Orange, Tustin and Anaheim,
all rejoice in these signs of prosperity;
and the new towns OF Mcpherson and
Modena are growing SO rapidly that
their elder sisters will be forced to
look after their laurels ostdiligently
or their glories will be eclipsed.
The bases for this growth and de-
velopment are numerous and SUBJ
stantial. There are five camps OF
railway builders, numbering some
600 men at work in the valley, and
there is an excellent prospect OF the
rival corporation getting into the
field very soon with as great vigor to
contest each acre OF territory. Then
one has but TO lock over the rich pas
lures OF the "squash belt" as Artesia
and the region about there are called
at the vineyards and orchards in all
parts OF that end of the county; at
the long trains of oranges still going
out of the several towns; and at the
harvest fields where the hay is now
being cut, to see how much reason
there is for the so-called boom. The
country lying along the San Gabriel
and Santa Ana rivers in their lower
reaches, and on down to San Juan
Capistrano, then round by the ocean
to Long Beach is capable of support
ing more people in affiuence than
there are now in ali the three lower
counties of the State.
1t is an ungracious task to have to
make the odious comparison between
ones own happy lot and the less
prosperous conditions of our neigh
bors. But Arabia was divided into
the sandy and the happy sections,
and there is certainly reason to give to
Southern California the appellation of
happy, even as compared with less
blessed portions of the State. Our
neighbors to the north earned their
sobriquet of the frozen citrus belt
some weeks ago when the vinyards
and other fruits were nipped by chill
ing frcst. To-day all portions Of the
central and northern end OF Califor-
mia oe avail the exec ssive heat, and |
scorching winds that have damaged
not only the fruit crops, but the |
cereals as we'll. At this very juno
ture, when this same atmospheric
dispensation is due here in its south
ward course, the wind is blowing
fresh and strong from the ocean, laden
with moisture and life. This has met
the Sirocco from the north, on the]
crest OF the mountains, and the result
is purifying thunder storm Of un'
usual violence. Here in the valley a
few drops OF rain are falling; the hot
wave is driven back, baffled from its
prey, and the crops Of all sorts are
perfectly safe. California Felix is the
only term to describe our condition,
and these happy elements viii main
ana increase the present boom, :